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So, the Savage Race was a week ago and I am still on a high about it. I got an email form the organizers about a Fall race and I am seriously considering it. The loser friend I participated with got her fill of obstacle races and vowed that she would never participate in a race like this again. Of course I feel very differently as I enjoyed it immensely. My one gripe was having to pay $10 for parking and a $20 spectator entry fee for my personal photographer but other than that, I have no complaints. I briefly considered maybe organizing or joining a team for the Fall race but I think I am too much of a solo competitor. While we did not exactly have a team strategy in place, my friend and I did sign up for the race together and I guess that may have made us a pseudo-team. Unfortunately I regret to say that I left her behind one mile into the race. In my defense, she was going too slowly and I was trying to make good time! I know I know, thats not an excuse because were it not for people sitting at the top of the obstacle Colossus – 40 foot wall you scale with a rope, I would not have made it to the top. By the time I made it to the wall, it was slippery with mud and water and climbing it was near impossible without aid.

So the race began with Shriveled Richard, a nice bath in ice cold water. There was truck parked right next to the “bath tub” filled with ice for replenishment in case the bath was not icy enough. While I was well aware of this obstacle and jumped right in, I was not prepared for the physical shock it caused my body. It took a few seconds to complete and that was plenty. Miles went by and I came upon Nutt Smasher – balance beam on crack! The beam wobbles, is slippery from contestants falling in and splashing the beams and down right difficult. I was determined to cross and not end up in the water and I did although I think the volunteer in charge of the obstacle got a little frustrated with my pace. Whatever, I finished it and thats all that mattered to me. As I jogged off feeling quite pleased with myself, I saw Davy Jones’ Locker looming up ahead and stopped in my tracks. This is an over 25 ft jump into 12 ft of water with a caution sign at the bottom of the stops stating that it is for experienced swimmers. Now I am by no means a swimmer as I have a phobia for large bodies of water and don’t even know if I can tread water but I was determined not to pass any obstacles. As I climbed the steps to the top, I kept up a dialogue in my head psyching myself up for the task ahead. Once it was my turn, I took a deep breath and jumped! Before jumping in, I had asked one of the volunteers how deep the water was and she replied 12 ft. However, after my jump, it seemed to take forever to resurface. And then I heard a voice say, I think your shirt wants to play peek a boo. It appears that as I jumped into the water, my shirt came up and over my head. I was being rescued by one of the lifeguards at the obstacle. He steered me to shore with his surf board and I got out. As I did, I realized that my chest felt unusually chilly, upon looking down I realized that my shirt was not the only thing that had come up when I hit the water- so had my bra! Pulling it down quickly and what I hoped was inconspicuously, I went on to complete the rest of the obstacles. Tazed hurt more than I expected it to and Evil bars – monkey bars on steroids, was the one obstacle I did not attempt. So there you have it, my experience at Savage Race. I am left with no regrets, no injuries and thoughts of competing again.